Motorcyclist hit by semi-truck on Highway 99

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California Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Dubravetz picks up a mirror from a motorcycle that was involved in an accident with a semi-truck on Highway 99 just south of Highway 162 on Saturday. The motorcyclist reportedly suffered back injuries.(Jason Halley/Staff Photo)<p class=’dotPhoto’>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href=’http://chicoer.mycapture.com/’>here</a>.</p>

OROVILLE — A man on a motorcycle collided with the front of a moving semi-truck at 3:24 p.m. Saturday on Highway 99 just south of Highway 162.

The unidentified rider of the BMW R1150 RT was airlifted from the highway to Enloe Medical Center. His condition and name could not be confirmed pending notification of family members.

Before he was airlifted out, the rider was conscious but in considerable pain from his back injuries, said officer Aaron Bowen with the California Highway Patrol.

Truck driver Sajjan Kohar, 34, drove the semi-truck that hit the driver. No criminal charges will be pressed.

Kohar said he was going south on Highway 99 when the motorcycle rider pulled in front of him from the gravel shoulder. He pulled to the left to prevent hitting him, but the motorcyclist made a U-turn at that moment, seemingly unaware of the approaching truck.

“It’s not my fault,” Kohar said. “I tried to save him.”

His truck was just coming off the stoplight at the Highway 99/Highway 162 intersection, so his speed was just below 50 mph, Kohar said.

The collision hit the rider in a way that kept him rolling forward as the truck veered across the highway and into the opposite shoulder, keeping the rider away from its wheels, Kohar said.

Highway 99 remained closed to all traffic until 4:14 p.m. In that time, as many as 20 vehicles and another semi-truck pulled onto the dirt and gravel area next to the intersection, with at least three people outside of their cars filming the medical helicopter’s takeoff from the highway.

Staff intern Anthony Siino can be reached at 896-7767 or at asiino@chicoer.com.